Journal Dedication Page: Happy Birthday Lucas

Today is our son's First Birthday. I am sharing my dedication page to his journal because I know there are moms out there that will appreciate this. I'm not a poet and don't consider myself a strong writer... but here goes.


Dear Lucas,

Happy first birthday 'mi vida' (my life). This journal started as a part of my own when I was just starting to dream about you. I’ve been trying to write this opening birthday entry for months, but finally realized that nothing I put down here will be able to express what your life means to us. Your first heart beat answered years of prayers, and your first breath defined who I would become - your mom above all else - for the rest of my life. You may not understand what I am about to say until you have your own family – but from the very moment you existed as a little life inside me, your life became my own, and the reason for everything daddy and I do. On that day we started to share in our life's journey together as a family, and all of our hopes and dreams for you began...

If there is one thing that parenthood has made me realize more than ever Lucas, is that life passes us by way too fast. I can’t believe you are already a year old! Life, and the people that make it wonderful and sometimes difficult (and these are mostly all the same people by the way!), is hard to appreciate as you are living it. One of my hopes is that these pages always remind you that everything you’ve done, big and small, makes us proud and fills us with wonder. That's something that will hold true to papa and me no matter how old you might be!

I also hope we can teach you that loving honestly and deeply makes you a happier person, because you’ll get so much of that in return. And that it all starts with family, because we don't get through life alone. As you read this you’ll see that you have been blessed with love from a diverse ‘family’. Your great-grandparents and many, many grandparents have already loved you so much! Your tias, tios and cousins from the US and Colombia are also a big part of who you'll become. And it’s not just blood relatives either. The friends we choose to call family over time can sometimes turn into the most special people in our lives – that’s how your dad and I came to be after all! So this journal may seemingly be about your individual life, but we are bound together by blood, love, marriage, friendships and the memories of all those things combined.

As time passes I know you will teach us many things. You already have. The hardest lesson will come when you are ready to live independently from us. A tough day, and a proud day, for any mom I am sure. But remember that a child and his parents are tied by this life's journey together; no matter how far you may go, we are and will always be a part of you.

Until then, I hope we can find precious time to keep filling these pages together. It's our proud job, gift and privilege to guide you through it. It is your job, gift and privilege to go live it fully. Remember to look back and cherish your past. Learn from it. Most importantly though, remember to smile each night because you are about to be blessed with a new tomorrow. New chances to live, learn, love yourself, give back to others and start fresh. Remember that every second you have is a gift dad and I wanted more than anything else. Our favorite gift to love in our entire world. Love that gift and take really, really good care if it.

Happy 1st Birthday 'mi vida'. Love, Mama